What is a development board and what is it used for?

A development board is a printed circuit board with circuitry and hardware designed to facilitate experimentation with a microcontroller.

Typical Components of a Development Board

Power Circuit - Typically set to use a 9V supply

Programming interface - lets you program microcontrollers from a computer

Basic input - usually a button

Basic output - usually LED

I/O pins - for motors, temperature sensors, LCD screens, etc.

Key Features That Must Be Included in a Development Board

Some important features included in the IOT development boards:

1. Processing capability. This can be in the form of a CPU, microcontroller, FPGA or other CPLD. Since many manufacturers provide the IDE you need, microcontrollers can easily program your device.

2. Wireless function. This feature provides wireless communication without the need to include an external transceiver module. Some common protocols include Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi, etc.

3. Scalability. This special feature allows more functionality to be added to the board? You can verify that the board is communicating via GPIO, UART, SPI or other protocols; as this will determine how the board will interact with other devices.

4. Memory. On-board memory is important. To store large amounts of data, you need built-in flash memory. A decent board allows connecting a MiniSD or MicroSD card for enhanced data storage.